Lumber-stacking device.



B. H. McCALL.

LUMBER STACKING DEVICE. APPLICATIONTILED APR. 14. 1915.

1,186,922. Patented June 13-, 1916. /3 v v wire sra ras ara- BENJAMIN H.MQCALL, OF PORT GAMBLE, WASHINGTON.

LUMBER-STACKIN'G nnvron.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented June 13, 1916.

Application filed April 14, 1915. Serial No. 21,278.

vices and has for its principal objects; to

provide a device which will save time and labor in stacking lumber upontrucks and the like and which will assist the workman doing the stackingto build up a stack which is plumb, true and of a predetermined shapeand size without any calculation beingnecessary on the part of theworkman.

It will be understood that the stacking of lumber is done by cheap andunskilled labor which is frequently not capable of building up a plumband accurate stack of lumber without wasting such time in. so doing. Byusing my device, it is calculated that a given laborer will stack muchmore lumber in a day and that the stacks will all be plumb and ofuniform size and shape as is very necessary when the lumber is beingstacked onto trucks for placing in dry kilns and the like. The spaceallowed between any two lines of stacks in a dry kiln is very small andif the stacks are not plumb or if the separating strips between thelayers of lumber are allowed to project beyond the side of the stack, itis'quite likely that the stacks in one line will engage those in theadjacent line and thus render the stacks inseparable and in'otherways'cause delay and trouble in handlingthe stacks. It will be furtherunderstood that in stacking lumber upon trucks to be kiln dried, that itis important thatthe separating strips shall be in vertical alinementone above the other so as to hold the lumber flat and true againstwarping during the process of drying. It'is important to prevent thelumber from warping and checking, as otherwise there is considerableloss in trimming. In this connection it is possible with my device tobuild up both ends of a stack square instead'of allowing one end to tailout in a ragged fashion, due

to the various lengths of lumber being piled in a single stack. Otherobjects will appear as my invention is more fully explained in thefollowing specification, illustrated in the accompany- 7 vided withcounter weights ing drawings and pended claim.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my device shown in usein the operation of stacking lumber, with parts broken away. Fig. 2 is aplan view of Fig. 1 with parts broken away. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary planof a preferred form.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, Figs. 1 and 2, numerals 1and 2 indicate trucks which are adapted to run upon rails 3 and whichare arranged as shown with cross bunkers 4: upon them. The lumber 5 ispiled upon the bunkers with separating strips 6 between eachlayer oflumber and directly above the bunkers. All of the above indicatedmembers are common.

pointed out in the ap- My device consists of the following describedmembers.

7 indicates vertical corner posts, one at each corner of the proposedstack of lumber. They, may be secured to a floor or driven into theground. The posts 7 are channeled as at 8 and 9 to receive end gates 10and side gates 11 respectively, which are adapted to slide verticallywithin the said channels. The end gates are suspended by cables 12 whichpass over sheaves 13 at the top of posts 7 and -which are provided withcounter weights lithe counter weights being preferably heavier than thegates. The side gates are suspended by cables 15 which pass over sheavewheels 16 and which are pro- 17 which are also preferably heavier thanthe gates. The gates are all raised by thecounter weights and loweredmanually, the'side gates being held at the desired'place by anyconvenient means, such as pegs 18 which may bethrust into holesbored inposts 7. 11 may be. of any desired depth, but-preforably the depth of"about 10 or 12 tiers-of lumber. The end gates are so1n'ewhat-thin'- nerat the ends than the width of the channels '8 and areprovided withwvedges 19' The side gates When the levers are thrown: to either side,

the'wedges arewithdrawn and'the gates released which is necessary whenit is desired 11c form an additional function in that they force thesaidgates inwardly when locked and thatrupon being released, the gatesare allowed to fall back slightly from the end of the stack of lumberwhich allows the gates 1 'to be raised more easily. The end gates arepreferably somewhat deeper than the side gates as they are otherwisesmaller and lighter than .the side gates. The side gates maybe'stiffened by truss rods 22 if desired and are provided with verticalstrips 23 which are used to butt the spacing strips 6 against in orderto more easily'aline them vertically. The end gates have similar strips2% which aline the corners of the stack of lumber. Upon starting astackof lumber,

I the gates are lowered until their lower edges are below thelowest tierof lumber and the placing of lumber commenced- In placing the various,pieces of lumber, all ends are pushed up against the end gates and the 7side pieces are lined up with vertical strips 23 'on the side gates.

After each layer or tier of lumber is placed, a layer ofspacing strips 6are placed and lined up against the vertical strips 23. After the lumberhas been stacked as described, to the top of the side gates, they areraised a distance equal to their depth and the stacking proceeds.

lVhen the tops of the end gates are reached, the wedges 19 are withdrawnand the end gates raised a distance equal to their depth at which timethe said gates are locked in place by the wedges 19. The posts 7 are ofsuch height that after the stack has reached its full height, the gatesmay all be shoved up above the completed stack which is now free to beshoved forward along the rails 3" and into the dry kiln without thenecessity of removing any posts, gates or other parts of my device. maynow be started within my stacking device as previously described.

Referring to. Fig. 3, numeral 25 indicates side posts which are hingedas at 26, to the floor 27 and which may be used on one side insteadofaside gate if so desired. ,After the stack is completed, the posts 25are folded down upon the floorout of the way of the-stack. r

Copies ofthis patent may be obtained for Another stack departing fromthe spirit and scope of the invention, and I therefore, desire to avoidbeing limited to the exact form shown and described, except as definedin the appended claim. 7

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protectby Letters Patent, is I In a lumber stacking device, the combination ofa plurality of vertically channeled guide posts arranged in the form ofa rectangle and resting on a floor, a pair of oppositely disposed sidegates which are adapted to move vertically in channels in the said guideposts and a pair of similarly disposed end gates which are adapted tomove similarly in other channels in the said posts,the two pairs of saidgates forming a hollow rectangle within which and against the inner sideof which lumber is piled in the form of a stack, means for raisingthesaid gates vertically in the said channels, side gate holding meanswhereby the said gates may be held at any desired point in their travel,end gate holding and wedging means, said means including wedges slidablysecured to the backs of the gates and adapted to be thrust between thebacks of the said gates and the outer edge of the channels in which thesaid gates slide, whereby the said gates may be thrust and held againstthe inner sides of their respec tive channels while the lumber is beingstacked against them and whereby when the inner side of the end gatesone at either end of thesaid gates, whereby the edges of the pieces oflumber which are on the outside of the stack are kept in verticalalinement, and the corners of the stack are kept straight and plumb.

BENJAMIN H. MOOALL.

Witnesses FRANK H. Towns, VVIMFRED KNOPH.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. 0.,

